 Ireland
Debates Status of Online Gaming
As Ireland has become
popular for more lenient gaming laws in regards to online
casinos, a decision last week has changed the status. Ireland
was the proposed next country to allow online casinos to be
established and utilized because of more lenient gaming methods.
Decisions made last week about the illegality of online casinos
has changed that proposal. The Dublin Sunday Post has reported
that Ireland's minister of finance, Mr. Brian Cowen, tried to
present the case for online casinos in Ireland and how
legalizing these casinos would allow Ireland to have European
market power and thus, much revenue. However, the critics of
online casinos used the opportunity to voice the other side of
the debate as they felt that the disadvantages of legalizing
online casinos outweigh the advantages.
The justice minister of Ireland, Michael McDowell opposed Brian
Cowen as he argued that not all Irish citizens are comfortable
with the idea of legalizing online casinos. He reminded
listeners that online casinos are an act of gambling that is far
harder to regulate and control then land based casinos. Michael
Dublin's associated ministers put a lot of pressure on him to
represent the negative side to legalizing online casinos and to
explain to the finance minister that Ireland is not in favor of
such laws. This was a difficult task as Brian Cowen had spent
some time preparing discussions for why online casino could be
beneficial. The debate pursued with the fate of Ireland
discussed many times over.
Cowen also presented the fact that despite the fact that online
casino sites are illegal, private companies still operated them
out of Ireland against the 1950's Irish Act that said they can
not. Cowen's argument was that because independent companies are
operating online casinos out of Ireland, the government would
benefit from regulating it and thus, being able to tax it.
Unless the act that forbids online casinos from being
established in Ireland is dismissed then the government can not
do anything to financially gain from the online casinos
operating illegally out of Ireland.
In addition, Cowen also said that in terms of economics for
Ireland, online casino sites may be able to get the country out
of some debt as well as provide more economic revenue for the
country. Cowen also warned that despite the status of online
casinos in Ireland being illegal, there is no action taken
against private companies from operating online casino sites out
of Ireland and thus, the law is futile and makes it impossible
for Ireland to benefit financially from online casino sites and
the industry they come from.
Online casinos are generally illegal all over Europe despite
talks in the United Kingdom about the same topic. Online casinos
remain in the illegal status they have been for almost ten years
and there does not seem to be much room to change that anytime
soon. The debates remain in progress this week with final
results not promised for the summer.
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